Greece: a floating barrier to stop migratory flows in the process of being established

The project for a floating barrier almost 3 kilometers long and more than a meter high off the island of Lesvos, one of the main gateways for refugees in Europe, is in its final phase according to the ministry Greek defense.

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All the equipment has been delivered and the installation is planned off Lesbos in an attempt to stop migratory flows. The floating barrier should be installed in the northeast of the island, where since 2015 hundreds of thousands of refugees have crossed the Aegean Sea in overloaded canoes to reach Greece and Europe.

The Greek government launched a tender on January 29 and the cost of the design, installation and maintenance for four years was estimated at 500,000 euros.

This barrier project in the open sea had aroused the concern of NGOs at the time. " This plan raises worrying questions about the possibility for rescuers to continue to help those who attempt the dangerous sea crossing ," Amnesty International said.

With the coronavirus crisis, arrivals on the islands facing Turkey have dropped drastically. Since April, only 350 people have arrived on the island of Lesbos. More than 33,000 asylum seekers live in five camps on the Aegean islands, with a capacity of only 5,400 people, and some 70,000 others in other facilities on the continent.